How to disinfect clothes without washing – A quick guide to get rid of microbes on clothes
In this article, we will get to know the reason for disinfecting the clothes, and then we will intently explore the methods to disinfect the clothes without washing them.
Why should clothes be disinfected?
Clothes are the first line of defense
Clothes are considered the first line of defense of the body. This is the reason we wash our clothes when they get dirty. Our clothes not only protect us from sunburn, and cold, and extremely hot climates but also protect us from harmful environmental elements and various injuries. They often play the role of shock absorbers during accidents and save our vital organs. We can say that clothes are similar to skin.
Amount of microbes on clothes
If we examine our skin, we will find almost 1 million microbes per cm^2 on our skin. Some of these are beneficial for us and are termed natural flora. But some of them may be our enemies pretending to be our friends. Similarly, our clothes have more microbiota than our skin. Our clothes are a perfect habitat for microorganisms due to the availability of a large surface area, moisture, a damp environment, and the availability of nutrition in the form of dead skin cells. Damp clothes have more microbes than dry ones. These microbes are abundant in the regions where the body produces more sweat, for instance, your armpits and pubic region.
Pathogens on clothes are disease-causing
These colonies of microbes in our clothes deteriorate our health. A microbe Staphylococcus aureus found in our clothes, especially socks, can cause serious diseases. It can affect the skin and joints more. The clothes of kids and athletes are more colonized by germs.
Clothes must be disinfected
Clothes must be disinfected before wearing again. So it is a good approach to wash your clothes in the washer thoroughly. And add different disinfectants with the laundry detergent in the washer. You can use white vinegar, bleach, and many other customized cloth disinfectants available in the market. But sometimes you may not have time to wash your clothes and disinfect them. In that case, you have to disinfect your clothes using different methods. We will discuss all of those methods in the next sections.
Ways to disinfect your clothes without washing
True Fresh is not only a cleaner brand, we consider our customers as a family and we care for their health and time. That’s why our team did wholesome research and devised a few ways for you to disinfect your clothes without washing them. Here are some of the ways to disinfect clothes without washing them.
Let the sun shine on your clothes
Sunlight is a blessing in disguise and a natural sterilizer and disinfectant. Sun rays can be a nightmare for the microbes living on your clothes. This was proved in a study at the University of Oregon. Sunlight will not kill all microbes present on the clothes. But it will kill half of them. You must expose your clothes to the sunlight. You can hang your clothes in the open air where sunlight can reach them. But you must read the care tag on your clothes. Because some fabrics are not resistant to sunlight and may get damaged. For those fabrics, you can use methods other than sunlight. Sunlight can kill and reduce the number of microbes present on your clothes in the following ways.
Sunlight reduces moisture
Microbes have a love for moisture because they can proliferate there at a higher rate. If a cloth is damp, more microbes can colonize it. Whereas dry clothes have fewer microbes. So any moisture in your clothes whether it is sweat or water is providing perfect grounds for the microbes. The very first thing sunlight does is dry your clothes. It draws moisture from your clothes and destroys the habitat of microbes. They can colonize there no more. In this way, sunlight reduces the number of microbes on your clothes or disinfects them.
Sunlight is antimicrobial
New research has revealed that sunlight has antimicrobial effects. Sunlight kills the microbes in the same way UV rays kill. You can use a natural and cost-free disinfectant to disinfect your clothes and make your clothes germ-free. No need to buy this disinfectant from the market, you can have access to it for free on your terrace or balcony.
Use steam
Steam can be more deadly for microbes. Experts have found that steam will not only disinfect your clothes but it can also make your clothes fresh. It kills the microbes quickly.
How to use steam for disinfecting?
There are fabric steamers available in the market. Fabric steamers will not only disinfect your clothes but can also remove wrinkles from the clothes. These steamers normally take 10 minutes to heat up and then they are ready to destroy the microbes. But before using a steamer make sure that your clothes can withstand its heat.
Iron clothes
It may seem bizarre to you that ironing clothes also destroys some microbes. If your cloth cannot withstand sunlight and steam, then you can use an iron to disinfect your clothes. According to experts, ironing clothes can destroy microbes. Normally an iron heats up to 180°C-220° C which is enough to kill the germs. Because most of the microbes die at 100°C. So, ironing the clothes will not completely disinfect your clothes but it will kill the majority of the microbes that inhabit your clothes.
Disinfectant sprays
Disinfectant sprays are available in the market. The easiest way of disinfecting the clothes is by using disinfectant sprays. You just need to spray them on your clothes and your clothes are free of microbes. Disinfectant sprays are more effective than other means of disinfecting your clothes. They don’t damage or decolorize your clothes. They can also remove bad odors from your clothes.
Clorox Laundry Sanitizer
Clorox laundry sanitizer is one of the disinfectant sprays available in the market. You can purchase it from Amazon or Clorox’s website. It has the following benefits:
- It kills 99.99% of the germs on your clothes.
- It can also eliminate bad odors from your clothes.
- It can be used on every kind of fiber, clothes, and towel.
- It comes with scent and without scent.
Sanitizing Closet
Sanitizing closets are also trending these days. These closets use Ultraviolet light and steam to kill the microbes. Unlike the laundry disinfectants used during washing laundry, these closets don’t use chemicals. They just rely on Ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light has antimicrobial effects. And it’s widely used to sanitize different instruments and fabrics. These closets destroy 99.99% of microbes present on the clothes. You just have to put your clothes inside the closet and turn it on. It will automatically kill all pathogens present on your clothes.
Samsung AirDresser
You can buy this kind of closet from any company you want. Samsung also offers such a closet with the name of AirDresser. AirDresser works on self-cleaning mechanisms and destroys 99.99% of microbes on your fabrics. This appliance also reduces the risk of allergies. The AirDresser also refreshes your clothes. It also makes your clothes odor-free. This appliance is not very expensive. Its price is between 1000-1300$. You can buy it from Amazon or you can even buy it from Samsung’s website.
Conclusion
Our clothes are home to many pathogens, mites, allergens, and other microbiota. They must be disinfected. The best way to disinfect the clothes is by washing them in the washer by adding disinfectant. But we don’t have enough time to do so every week. Sometimes we cannot wash clothes but we want to remove the germs.
You can use all methods explained in this blog to disinfect your clothes. But for a thorough cleaning, you must use a washing machine and a laundry sanitizer. Before disinfecting your clothes you should clean your machine using the True Fresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets. Here is a quick guide to clean your machine. Just read our blog to make your grubby washing machine shine.
Frequenty Asked Questions
Q: Can we spray vinegar to disinfect the clothes?
A: Yes, vinegar can be used to disinfect your clothes. But clothes must be washed after spraying vinegar on them.
Q: Can we use sanitizer to disinfect the clothes?
A: Yes. But you have to use the laundry sanitizer in the washing machine while washing your clothes.
Q: Which method is best to disinfect the clothes?
A: Disinfecting your clothes in the washing machine using laundry detergent is the best method to disinfect your clothes. But you should first clean your washer with True Fresh Washing Machine Cleaner Tablets.
